paisley pie

Miss Paisley turned 3!
This sweet little muffin is so artistic and loves to paint. She takes it very seriously. When she was painting this canvas I came over to talk to her. At first I was whispering and saying, like, "oh, that looks so pretty." Then I started talking at regular volume to her and she immediately hushed me--she was trying to concentrate!
She drags her magna doodle around with her like a pet, taking it everywhere from in the car to bed. Brad and I agree it is the best toy we ever bought, and since the screen was getting pretty gray...
...we decided she needed a new one. She was so happy!
My parents came to celebrate and we went to John's Incredible Pizza. I crack up at this "I'm eating pizza and watching cartoons" daze they are in.

We rode some rides and played some games and had a great time.
Even little man loved it!

I made her a Rapunzel tower cake because:
A. We love that movie.
B. Paisley's long, pretty hair reminds me of Rapunzel's.
C. Paisley likes to sing that song from Tangled when I brush her hair.
It would be nice if, like in Tangled, Paisley's hair had special power to keep me young forever, but even more so I wish it had power to keep her young forever! I'm kinda glad I don't have the option of freezing Paisley in time just the way she is because it would be very tempting...but probably not so good for her progression. I just LOVE her squishy little body and sing-song little voice and sweet personality so much and wish she could be my little girl forever! These are such precious days when a bandaid and a cuddle can solve most anything.

[May 26] sad day

We started the day with an 8:30 am kindergarten graduation ceremony for Galla. These were her teachers: Mrs. Guillen and Mrs. Kunstel. They were quite possibly the best pair of kindergarten teachers imaginable! These ladies are amazing and I can't say enough good things about them, but I swear they were trying to make all the moms cry that morning by having the kids sing sentimental songs about growing up and moving on and such! It was hard, but I stayed strong.
While we're talking about Galla's kindergarten experience, I wanted to throw in this pic of her at the school's jog-a-thon in April. I went to cheer her on and she did me proud! They weren't keeping a tally of laps, but I'm sure Galla out-ran every girl and all but a couple boys there. I took a few laps with her and she was speedy and determined--I had to explain to her the concept of pacing herself when she was complaining of a feeling like a "crab pinching my side."

Ok, back to our sad day. So after the graduation we headed to Six Flags Discovery Kingdom for the day. We had packed up all kinds of snacks and spare clothes and we were all stoked for a long day of play at the awesome amusement park. We were about 10 miles down the freeway when we got a flat tire. Brad calmly pulled off and parked at a gas station to change the tire. We all piled out and watched daddy skillfully get the dirty job done. The thought crossed my mind to take a picture of the completely flat tire and its intruding nail, but I was busy playing and picking flowers with the kids.

In not too long, we were back on the road and still in high spirits, headed toward the prospect of a super fun day at Six Flags. The kids watch their movie and eat peanut butter sandwiches and soon we are there! The problem comes when we realize we are the only people there...there's a sign blocking the parking lot saying the park is closed for the day. SAD!! The kids are let down, but Brad and I are devastated--we were so looking forward to going! Now what should we do? We sat there lamenting and brainstorming. We have a whole day to kill! We decided on a very sub-par substitution for Six Flags: Fairytale Town (it's next to the Sacramento Zoo). So here's how the day turned out:








So I guess it was ok. It is a magical place for kids, but Brad and I complained to each other of being bored! But so long as the kids had fun our day was a success after all. I do wish I'd taken a picture of the flat tire and the closed sign because they would've really added to this post. Now we know that Six Flags is open daily (it was only open on weekends) starting the day after we tried to go! We'll make it there eventually.

no fall finn

It has been on my mind lately that much too often I hold my kids back. I find it easier/quicker/cleaner to just do things myself when my kids are completely capable. Not to mention the fact that I'm admittedly in denial about how quickly they are growing up--can't I just keep my babies safely tucked under my wing forever?! So I shouldn't have been surprised last Saturday when Brad took Finn's training wheels off and he just popped right up and rode circles around us. First shot, no falls! He is such a stud and now loves riding his bike even more than before--if that's possible.
Galla was a little less eager to learn, but I'm sure she'll come around soon. She is so independent and desirous to do things and I need to let her. And how cute is little Paisley back there on her trike?

first birthday fiesta

Mr. Cinco de Mayo turned one (What?! I know, how did that happen?) and we celebrated in style! We threw the biggest party we've ever done complete with:
a chili pepper pinata and a bounce house...
...dancing with Mimi...
...a taco bar completely home-cooked by Brad. It was sooo tastey and we had way more than enough of everything! We will be eating leftovers here for weeks and I don't mind because it is so yummy...
...a chocolate fountain and a Cookie Monster cake by mom.
I chose Cookie Monster not necessarily because Ryken loves the character, but because the way Ryken eats reminds me of him. He's always shoving food in his mouth and making a lot of noise in the process--it's so funny! Also, Brad's mom made him a Cookie Monster cake for one of his birthdays when he was very young.
Here's my little monster eating his cake! Look at that cute face!
Seriously, take a closer look! My little boy is so sweet and I couldn't love him more. Ryken is definitely the most cuddly of my kids and I love to snuggle with him. He is so playful and loves when I crawl after him and chase him and grab his feet.
Ryken is also a good sharer! I think he wasn't crazy about the coconut in the frosting because he kept trying to pull it out of his mouth.
Thank you to everyone who helped us celebrate our little man's birthday! Especially my parents and sister and her fiance and Brad's parents and Ryan and Stephanie and kids! Brad's family came up early to help us get ready and we had such a fun afternoon hanging out. Stephanie is like 36 weeks pregnant and made the trip up from SoCal and we're so glad they did! It was great to see Ryan and Steph and have the cousins play.
They so love each other--Steph, I'm excited for your new little girl to join the cousin clan!

Happy birthday baby boy. Now don't get any older!!

close call

Last weekend we had a near collision of fairytale characters! So, of course we had Easter complete with several celebrations during the proceeding week.
I never got a really good picture, but these were their Easter outfits (the headbands were Galla's creative contribution).
We went to an egg hunt at our gym. It was so sunny! I finally gave up asking them to put their hands down and smile for the camera and snapped this silly shot.
Gotta love licking melted chocolate from inside the plastic eggs. Like I said, it was sunny!

We had a really fun hunt and lunch with some friends from our ward.
And a good old-fashioned backyard search after church.
Ryken found his own fun. No, it's not chocolate--even better to a little boy..it's mud! Yum!
Here's where the close call came in: Easter morn Galla lost her first tooth! What was I just saying about my babies growing up too quickly? I told Galla I was kinda sad because that means she's getting big. I also told her that the Tooth Fairy comes and takes your tooth and leaves you money to save for college. She then walks into the other room and tells Brad, "Dad, Mom's going to cry when I go to college." She has no idea!
So the Easter Bunny and the Tooth Fairy missed each other by one night. And this is what that crafty little fairy left under Gal's pillow. Galla loved it and is already working on losing tooth #2!

take a piece of my heart

We decided to clear some space in the garage and sell our baby bouncer and swing on CL. Actually, that statement is not completely accurate. It's more like I've been hanging on to these sentimental pieces knowing we need to get rid of them but sad to see them go because they have held all 4 kids. The swing especially has saved us on more than a few newborn nights! But Brad was like, "please get these things out of my garage, please." So I sold them. Some man came and took them both and just walked out like it was no big deal. He may as well have walked out with one of my babies! As soon as he left I was inexplicably sad and cried...like a baby. Brad was very compassionate and comforting and let me grieve. I just can't believe how quickly my babies are growing up!
Galla girl in the bouncer (about 2 months).
Galla wedged under the swing (6 months).
Little Ryken in the swing (1 month).
Ryken a little older in the swing (4 months).

Finn and Paisley also spent their fair-share of time in these seats, but I guess I never used them as photo-opps.

free crawlin'

Ryken has been crawling for a little over a month now. He will temporarily enjoy the independence and indulge in activities such as pulling cans out of the pantry and ripping night lights out of sockets. And then I will hear his crying getting louder as he tracks me down to reclaim his preferred position as my "hip ornament" (like a hood ornament, get it?). C'est la vie with this cutie!